Handle for hand grenades



Aug. 8, 1939 ERDMANN 2,168,979

HANDLE FOR HAND GRENADES Filed Sept. 28, 1957 FIG. 1

.71? V62? for:

Patented Aug. 8, 1939 2,168,979

UNl'EED STATES PATENT oFFlc-a HANDLE FOR HANDv GRENAD'ES Georg Erdmann, Berlin, Germany Application September 28, 1937, Serial .No. 166,146 In Germany July 6, 1936 2 Claims. (Cl. 102-29),

This invention relates to a handle for hand 'vided with reinforcing insertions, in one piece, grenades with tear-oil fuse. instead of having to make it in two pieces. The Such handles consist of three parts, namely a invention is illustrated byway of example in the connecting piece, with a screw thread for screwaccompanying drawing, in which Figures 1, 2 and ing on the container for the bursting charge, a 3 show respectively the connecting piece, the 5 handle and a closure cap. handle proper or shank member, and the cap, In the hand grenades with handles hitherto the left-hand half of each figure being in axial used the connecting piece consists of a thin section and the right-hand half being an outside walled metallic under portion, which is to be view. 0 slipped over the wooden handle of the hand In the drawing, l is the connecting piece, 2 l0 grenade, and a thick walled upper portion, perfothe shank member or handle proper, and 3 the rated at the tip and provided with a screw cap. The lower portion 4 of the connecting thread, onto which the actual grenade is screwed. piece is made somewhat thicker than has hither- The upper portion, the under portion and the to been usual when employing sheet metal. This handle are connected with one another by means member is secured to the handle not by screwing of four or more screws. The handle through but is welded thereto by means of heat. which the tear-01f fuse goes, is hollow and con- The making of the rather long handle, which sists of impregnated beechwood, while the 010- is shown in its natural proportions in the drawsure cap, which is placed upon its under portion, ing, is effected by forcing suitably shaped upper is of sheet zinc. Such a hand grenade handle and lower dies from opposite ends into the heated 20 therefore comprises two screw connections bemass of artificial resin, placed in suitable moulds, tween wood and metal, and there is therefore aland provided with reinforcing insertions. The ways a great risk that moisture may get in, as handle thereby acquires the shape illustrated in a result of which the grenade would become usethe drawing, with a screw thread at the lower less. Efforts have been made to obviate this end. A thin partition remaining in the centre is 25 disadvantage by selecting a timber of suitable mechanically removed by pushing it out. density which is not liable to crack, namely h c r p 3 is also pressed out of one beech, by impregnating this wood, and by inpiece. Its connection with the handle is comtroducing liquid sealing means at the point pletely watertight, because the screw threads of Where the connecting piece of the hand grenade the artificial resin handle do not warp like those 30 is screwed to the wooden handle. In particuof a wooden handle under the influence of moislarly wet weather, however, and under other unture.

favourable external circumstances, the desired n the Central por of the handle there y success is not uniformly attained, so that 10% also b impr sed in he co r e of m nufa r or more of the grenades still miss fire. a roughened pattern 5, in order that the hand 35 Furthermore the cost of the hand grenade ena ma n s p wh n b i hr wn. v handle becomes quite considerable owing to the if it s W difficult treatment of the wood and a particu- Quite o t bes of tific al esin have a1- larly careful and massive construction of the conready n made y employing pp a lower necting piece. dies, but from this the idea has not yet arisen 40 Now according to the present invention th that the manufacture of such long handles as connecting piece, the handle and the closure cap are required for hand grenades W -o of the hand grenade, are made of artificial resin. fuses would be p s b by e s of Suc dies- For this purpose there come primarily i t n- Artificial resin has already been suggested for sideration the condensation products of phenol t butts of firearms, but hand grenade handles 45 and its homologues with formaldehyd and it and their accessories have to fulfil practical rehomologues, and also urea formaldehyde resins, quirements of quite a different at om t se as well as other synthetic artificial resins, which of fi can be forced into suitable moulds by pressure Thanks to the adoption of artificial resin the and heat. manufacture of hand grenade handles with con- 50 With the resins, fibrous substances may be neoting piece and closure p is e ed to a mixed for the purpose of increasing th i tethe cost. Beechwood of the best quality is saved, nacity. and failures arising from the penetration of In selecting this material for the hand grenades s u Which amount to bou eve when it is possible to press the connecting piece, proimpregnated beechwood is empl are n r 55 1y obviated, and this is a point of the utmost importance.

For the production of the handles and accessories the most varied artificial pressed substances may be employed, with or without reinforcing insertions. A reinforcing insertion 6 is shown in Figure 2. The thickness and the form of the walls, and also of the accessories, can be adapted to the currentrequirements of the military authorities.

The closure cap may be connected with the handle in some way other than by screwing.v According to the present invention the handles and accessories of hand grenades without tear- L off fuses may also be made of artificial resin,

Iclaim:

1. A handle for hand grenades, more particu larly those with tear-oflf fuses, comprising a shank member, pressed out of artificial pressed material, an externally screw-threaded connect ingpiecemade ofartificial pressedmaterial and non-releasably. welded. inta water-tight manner to the. upper endmof the shankamember, and

adapted to accommodate an internally screw threaded container for a bursting charge, an external screw thread formed on the lower end of the shank member by pressure, and a closure cap pressed out of artificial material screwed directly on to the thread at the lower end of the shank member.

2. A handle for hand grenades, more particularly those with tear-off fuses, comprising a shank member, pressed out of artificial pressed material with reinforcing insertions, an externally screw-threaded connecting piece made of artificial pressed material with reinforcing insertions'aiid non-releasably welded in a watertight manner 1 to the upper end of the shank member, and'adapted to accommodate an inter- ;nally screwethreaded container for a bursting charge, an external screw thread formed on the lower end of the shank member by pressure, and a closure cap pressed out of artificial material screwed. directly on to the thread at the lower end of the shank member. i a a GEORG ERDMANN. 

